Gray Day!

Robert, Wednesday, June 18

Well, three sunny days in a row was just too much to expect. This morning was gray and overcast. The only change throughout the day was that it varied between light mist to light showers all day. We finally got out late in the day to get groceries and to do some exploring. Our campground is about a mile from the end of the road. The road is paved and then there is a sign that says, “End” in the middle of the road and the road ends. It is solid trees the other side of the sign. We went from there in the other direction and didn’t quite get to the other end of the road in that direction. According to the map, the two ends are about 20 miles apart. Even without the sun shining, Sitka is very picturesque. While anywhere we have ever been has its share of places with junk and trash, there is very little of that visible here. Most yards and lawns are neat and well tended. Any place that is on an island with very limited access to the outside has a problem with things like old cars, washing machines, and the like. It just costs too much to send it to a junk yard where it can eventually be sold for scrap. In many places like this it ends up sitting around creating an ugly eyesore. I did watch the ferry that we are taking to Juneau unload and load. We can see the ferry dock from our trailer. The distance from here to Juneau is about the same as the ride we took from Petersburg to here. That trip took 13 hours. The ferry from here to Juneau takes 4.5 hours. It looks more like a speed boat than a ship. Three times a week it runs from Juneau to here and then back again with no other stops. We take it on Saturday. I did call the manufacturer of our hot water heater to find out how to get it to work on propane. They we very clear that it should only be serviced by a certified technician AND it is still under warranty. There are only three places in all of Alaska where warranty service is available. One is on Prince of Wales Island, one of the islands along the southeast coast. One of the other two is in Anchorage and the other is about 40 miles outside Anchorage. We will get it looked at when we are in Anchorage in about two weeks.